Vermonters Feeding Vermonters

LOCALLY SOURCED

LOCALLY DISTRIBUTED

LOCALLY ENJOYED

A program to purchase high-quality local food directly from Vermont farmers and producers to share with people in our state facing hunger

Everyone in Vermont deserves access to the fresh, local food that our state has in such abundance. This innovative program provides neighbors facing hunger with fresh, local food while supporting the state’s agricultural economy, an integral component of the Vermont way of life.

How does it work?

The Foodbank and farmers agree upon a quantity, price, and delivery schedule prior to the growing season. During the harvest season, farmers provide regular deliveries to one of our three branches. The Foodbank then distributes the food to people facing hunger through our network of more than 300 community partners and programs like VeggieVanGo, providing fresh food distributions in local communities throughout the state.

The Vermont Foodbank also offers funds to participating partner food shelves and meals sites to purchase directly from their local farmers to serve people in their communities.

How will this help Vermonters?

Improved health for Vermonters facing hunger – Many of our clients struggle with diet-related illness; 23% of households we serve have a member with diabetes and 46% have a member with high blood pressure. By meeting the needs of our neighbors with fresh, nutritious foods, we can help them achieve better health, lower health care bills, and a higher quality of life.

Security for farmers – This program provides an entirely new market for Vermont growers, who benefit from the security of a known sale of large quantities of wholesale crops. This partnership also offers valuable marketing visibility for local farms, giving them access to new audiences.

A stronger Vermont economy – By purchasing food locally, we are financially supporting the Vermont agricultural economy. This strengthening of our state’s food system and economy helps to create a Vermont where we all have more opportunities to live healthy, fulfilling lives.

A reduced environmental footprint – By purchasing locally, the food that we provide is fresher and lasts longer, with less waste. In addition, this decreases the amount of fuel expended per pound of food distributed, resulting in fewer pollutants in the atmosphere and in our waterways.

Thanks for your interest in Vermonters Feeding Vermonters! During the 2020 growing season we will be purchasing over 240,000 pounds of local, high quality, wholesale produce from over dozens of farms across the state. At this time we are unable to partner with additional farms for the 2020 growing season. We will start reviewing applications for the 2021 growing season late fall 2020.

If you are interested in applying to the program for the 2021 growing season please let us know and we will be sure to share application materials with you as they become available. Thanks again for your interest, if you have any additional questions please contact Program Director, Michelle Wallace at mwallace@vtfoodbank.org or 802-477-4125.